Old facts, new beginnings. Thinking with Arendt about algorithmic decision-making

Abstract

Speaker – Lisa Herzog, University of Groningen | More and more decisions in our societies are taken by algorithms. What are such decisions like, and how do they compare to human decision-making? In this paper, I contrast central features of algorithmic decision-making with three key elements – plurality, natality and judgment – of Hannah Arendt’s political thought. In “Arendtian practices”, human beings come together as equals, exchange arguments, and make joint decisions, sometimes bringing something new into the world. With algorithmic decision-making taking over more and more areas of life, opportunities for “Arendtian practices” are under threat. Moreover, there is the danger that algorithms are tasked with decisions for which they are ill-suited. Analysing the contrast with Arendt’s thinking can be a starting point for delineating realms in which algorithmic decision-making should or should not be welcomed.